IconBay to Include Garage-top Tennis Courts and Watersports Marina

Rooftop tennis courts?  Why didn’t anyone say anything?  I’m not an avid tennis player but I wouldn’t mind partaking in a few games of tennis if they were to be held on a rooftop offering a majestic water view.  Heck, I’m not even a tennis player period but I might just volunteer to be the line judge.  Where do I sign up?  One of IconBay’s latest renderings reveals two tennis courts atop its parking garage.  It appears, however, that only one of the two courts will offer an unobstructed view of Biscayne Bay.  I wonder what the wait time for that court will be.  The tennis courts at IconBay will be located on the 7th floor and offer ball and towel service, filtered water stations and access to his-and-hers locker rooms.  The courts will even be lighted to allow for nighttime play.

It seems that recreational activities and encouraging its residents to live a healthy lifestyle will be a central theme for Icon Bay.  Icon Bay’s latest marketing piece states that it will include a watersports marina for windsurfing, paddleboarding, sailing, jet skiing and other motorized and non-motorized aquatic activities.  How awesome is that?

The waterfront sculpture park will also be a distinguishing feature for Icon Bay.  Featured artists will include: José Bedia Valdes, Carolina Sardi, Edouard Duval Carrié , Gary Nader and Daniel Maman.  In the rendering above, notice the dog park, sculpture garden, exercise stations, play fountain and interactive sculpture along with the winding walkways and baywalk.  Sounds like it will be one helluva park!

The Infinity-edge pool at Icon Bay will be accented by a snack and cocktail bar and private cabanas.  Towel service will also be offered.

The fitness center and spa at IconBay will include top-of-the-line cardio and weight training equipment, sauna and steam rooms, personal trainers, yoga and Pilates classes and more.

Notice the triangular-shaped balconies on the backside of the building in the above rendering of IconBay.  You also get a good shot of the two tennis courts.  I must say that these latest renderings have me excited about the prospects for IconBay.  It will definitely be a game-changer for the neighborhood.  Hopefully the watersports marina will be open to non-residents as well.

I updated our Icon Bay building profile page to include all of the latest information that has been released including amenities and residence features.

900 Biscayne Bay’s Attention to Detail

There are several reasons for why 900 Biscayne Bay gets a 9.5 out of 10 quality score on our Condo Rankings page.  The building management’s attention to detail is definitely one of them.  In the photo above, take note of the pattern across the back of the sofa. Each morning, the cleaning person vacuums this pattern into the back and sides of each of the sofas that reside in the club room at 900 Biscayne Bay.  Attention to small details like these that don’t go unnoticed by the most discriminating of buyers.

Alex Rodgriguez Lists Miami Beach Mansion for $38M

After moving into the property less than a year ago, Alex Rodriguez looks to part ways with his ultra-chic Miami Beach mansion.  The New York Yankees All-Star recently listed the 20,000 square foot, waterfront home for $39M.  The modern North Bay Road estate is situated on a 1.07-acre lot and has 9 bedrooms, 11 full baths and 2 half baths.  The completely-gated property features 275 feet of water frontage, 2 boat docks, a 3,000 square foot sports room with batting cage, commercial-sized elevator, heated pool, gourmet open kitchen, home theater, outdoor kitchen area, guest house, Crestron lighting, 16 security cameras, surround sound system throughout, seamless indoor/outdoor living spaces, rooftop deck, separate gym building with steam room, covered terraces and a 2,200 square foot Master Suite with atrium, sitting area, his and hers baths and over-sized closets.

Alex Rodriguez purchased the property for a reported $24M in 2010 while it was still under construction.

New Rendering of Icon Bay

A new rendering of Icon Bay has been released. It provides a great shot of the proposed fountain that will reside in Biscayne Bay.  The rendering also shows the Infinity edge pool which gives the illusion that the pool water flows into the bay as well as several cabanas that line the northern and southern part of the sundeck.

Reservations are now being accepted for condos at Icon Bay.  Please visit our Icon Bay condos page for more information and additional renderings.

Custom Built, Fully Furnished Condo at Marina Blue Sets the Bar for the Building

I have seen a lot of condos at Marina Blue over the 4+ years since the building debuted in February 2008.  The vast majority of units have your average run-of-the-mill build-out with tiled floors, California-style closets, solar shades in the living room, black-out shades in the bedrooms and light fixtures that were likely picked up at Home Depot as an afterthought – nice but far short of spectacular.  A few weeks ago, however, I showed a condo at Marina Blue that really blew me away and deserves to be in a league of its own.

Unit 5304 is a 2 bedroom+den/2.5 bath condo with 1,663 square feet of living space.  The floor plan, known as a Sky Loft, is quite rare in the building and only 11 other units of this size exists at Marina Blue.  The condo has 10-foot high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay, Downtown Miami and the Miami Beach skyline from its vantage point on the 53rd floor.  While the view is remarkable, it is the unit itself that really makes it special.  The condo was 100% custom built and includes a lot of bells and whistles.  The furniture and artwork that you see pictured below is also included in the sales price.

The kitchen includes a large custom island, Gaggenau stainless steel appliances and custom Italian cabinetry by Snaidero.  The owner also had a DJ room/office built into the floor plan and is including the turntables and Evolution Entertainment music system with the sale of the condo.  Each of the rooms is also wired with an Internet-based security camera system.

In all honesty, given the level of quality of both the furniture and the unit itself, this condo is a steal at its current asking price of $795K.  The build-out itself cost at least $150K and I’m sure the replacement cost of the furniture and artwork is north of $100K.  (Update: I called to check my estimates and was told that the owner paid roughly $350K total for the build-out, furniture and artwork.)  Everything is pretty much brand new given that the owner has used the condo only a few times since it was built-out and furnished.  Whoever ends up buying the condo is going to end up with the nicest unit that I have ever seen at Marina Blue. 

$47M Sale of 3 Indian Creek Drive Shatters Previous Record Set in March

Records were made to be broken.  Sometimes, however, records are shattered.  The recent sale of 3 Indian Creek Island for $47M shatters the previous record-breaking sale for single-family homes in Miami-Dade County set earlier this year by 22%.  Edward Lampert, Sears Holdings Corp.’s chairman and hedge fund billionaire, purchased a waterfront estate, also located on Indian Creek Island, in March for $38.4M.

3 Indian Creek Drive is paradise-living at its finest.  The 30,000 square foot, waterfront home is situated on an 80,000 square foot lot and has 10 bedrooms, 10 full baths, 4 half baths, a 100-foot resort-style pool, a full catering kitchen, certified greenhouse, rooftop lawn and Jacuzzi, panic room, wine cellar, servant room, chromotherapy spa and massage room, library, elevator and a 7-limo-sized car garage.

Introducing Icon Bay – Related Group’s Newest Pre-construction Condo Development

First it was Icon South Beach.  Then Icon Brickell.  Related Group now looks to launch Icon Bay – a 300-unit, 40-story luxury high-rise along Biscayne Bay at the eastern end of NE 28 Street.  Every unit in the building will have private elevator access and will face the water.  The world-renowned architectural team Arquitectonica has been contracted to do the design.   The interior designer has not yet been announced but it is expected to be someone highly reputable and impressive. A waterfront neighborhood park will also be developed as part of this project.  GEO Arquitectonica, the landscape designers behind Museum of Modern Art in Miami, will design the bayfront park.  Pricing is in the process of being finalized but given the level of quality, I foresee pricing to be along the lines of Paramount Bay.  Letters of intent are now being accepted to reserve your space in line to choose a unit when sales officially begin.  Contact us for more information if you have an interest in reserving an Icon Bay condo.

Al Capone’s Former Palm Island House Hits the Market for $9.95M

There is no sure thing but death and taxes – so the saying goes.  As it turned out in the end, the two certainties brought about the demise of legendary American gangster, Al Capone – a person who at one time seemed untouchable.  When nothing else would stick, the U.S. government finally nabbed the Chicago kingpin on tax evasion charges.  He was later tried in court and sentenced to federal prison.  Many people erroneously believe that Capone spent his final days locked-up behind bars .  The truth, however, is that the mobster was paroled on November 16, 1939 and returned to his home on Palm Island in Miami Beach, Florida where he ultimately died from a series of health issues.

Al Capone purchased the Palm Island estate in 1928 – three years before his prison conviction – for $40,000.  He used the waterfront home as an escape from Chicago when the authorities started breathing down his neck.  Over the years, the property has had many owners.  The current owner acquired the estate in November 2011 for $5.65M and since that time has fully restored it.  Yesterday, the Palm Island waterfront mansion hit the market once again with an asking price of $9.95M. That’s gangsta!

Miami Beach Mansion Bequeathed to Pet Chihuahua Sells For $8.4M

Gail Posner, daughter of billionaire business magnate Victor Posner, made national headlines in 2010 when it was discovered that her Miami Beach mansion was bequeathed to her pet Chihuahua Conchita and two of her other dogs along with a $3M trust fund.  According to her will, the dogs were to be taken care of by her staff which was to receive a grand total of $27M upon her death.  Conchita, who was considered to be the “world’s most pampered dog” by Gail’s own accord, had her own bedroom and bathroom in the waterfront mansion, a $15,000 Cartier necklace and weekly spa treatments.  Posner’s son Bret Carr was left only $1M. To no one’s surprise, Carr quickly contested the will. The hotly debated Miami Beach home sold last Friday for $8.4M.  The 7 bedroom, 8 bath, 2 half bath waterfront estate had 9,700 interior square feet and featured a center courtyard, elevator, 2 fireplaces, enormous master suite, separate gym and staff quarters resting on 156 square feet of waterfront.  According to public records, Gail Posner purchased the luxury home for $8.3M in September 2005.  No word on where Conchita and the other two poochies will now reside.